The Dreams You Had
by Waterlou25
Summary: This story follows you, the reader, as you accidentally involve yourself in a spell that traps you, Elena, and Klaus in a shared dream for the night. If you die in a dream do you die for real? If you fall in love in a dream do you fall in love for real? Klaus/Reader pairing with a slow start.
1. Chapter 1

There was no point in packing bags these days. Everything you needed could be acquired on the road. The one thing you always carried with you from place to place was your phone, your favourite perfume, and some family photos. You always felt the need to change your location. You were always paranoid that someone would discover what you were. Your final destination was the big city of New York where you hoped to stay a while in the anonymity of such a populated area.

You had just spent a few days in a small town and already you were getting scared by some of the looks you were getting. There were so few people that you had ended up feeding on almost everyone. Compulsion was effective to make them forget but you were never one hundred percent sure that it worked. You had avoided any trouble so far so perhaps being a little paranoid wasn't too bad.

You took one last look in your pockets, making sure all of your pictures were accounted for. There was the one of your mother when she was in her mid-twenties. She was posing over-dramatically for comedic effect. Then there was one of your father from when he was younger. His photographer friend in college had made him be her model for some of her projects. This one involved staring off in the distance on a cliff with the ocean laid out in front of him. The next was a picture of you and your parents from when you were a baby and they were still happy together. Finally, the last was a picture of you from when you were 21 years old. You believed it was the best picture of yourself; it was the one where you found yourself the most beautiful. You had kept the same long (y.h.c.) hair as in the photograph but your face now looked slightly more distinguished. Some of the fat in your cheeks had gone which emphasized your cheekbones more, you thought.

You looked yourself in the mirror then. You looked better now but something about your look was darker. You hadn't aged a day singe the age of 25 so the difference between you in the picture and you now was only 4 years but still your eyes reflected something entirely different than in that photograph. Perhaps it had been the constant travelling with no meaningful relationships with anyone for the last 10 years. It had been hard leaving your friends behind. You were never really that close with your family but still you had missed them over the years. Once you had found out that you had become a vampire there was no way that you could keep in touch with any of them. The blood lust was so powerful then. Even now, you found it so hard to control yourself.

You had never known the circumstances under which you were turned. You only remember waking up in the painful process of your transition. You had drained 7 people that day. After that, you had lost a part of yourself. Taking lives had changed you. You often had to remind yourself to care about humans; that you were once like them. Some days were harder than others. Being so detached from everyone around you made it hard to remember why you tried not to kill those who you fed on. Still, you tried. Moving around helped a lot which is why you had to move now. Smaller towns made it harder for you to resist killing for some reason.

So you exited the hotel room you had been staying in. You looked around in the parking lot for a car you liked. Not many people stayed here so there were only 5 cars. Most of which were probably employees'. You sighed at your options but settled on a yellow Suzuki Swift. When you wrenched the door open you were pleased to find a great looking leather jacket in your size. You put it on immediately. The jacket somehow made the car seem a bit better. The sun had set not too long ago so you knew you would have hours of darkness until you had to stop for a place to crash. Not being able to go out in the sun made it hard to get very far when traveling. You turned on the radio and cranked the volume up. Road trips were always great.


	2. Chapter 2

You hadn't seen many places to stop on your way and you had only 2, maybe 3, hours of darkness left so you decided you would stop at the next town or city. It wasn't too long until you reached it. You slowed as you passed the town's sign so you could read it properly. The town was called "Mystic Falls." It sounded almost eerie, perfect for a vampire. You drove around a bit for somewhere to stay the night. There was a sign for a Bed & Breakfast not to far from the town's pub. It seemed like a good location so you stopped. Before going in you pulled off the plates on the car. If someone found the missing car at least they would have a hard time confirming it was the right one. You would of course be able to get out of any questioning but you preferred not having to deal with police interrogations at all. You got yourself a room for one week to start. The hosts seemed pleased to have anyone at all and were very welcoming. They offered you the possibility to extend your stay without any reservation. They would mark the room down as booked. You thanked them kindly before making your way to the room. It was very simple but still more homey than you were used to. It felt great. You wanted to shower but realized you didn't have any new clothes to change into afterwards so instead you decided to just go for a walk and see if anything was open. You would at least need a meal. Keeping satiated was the number one way to hold off blood binges. You passed by a lot of shops that had closed a long time ago. It was nearly morning after all. The pub near her room, the Mystic Grill, had only closed a few hours ago. You would be able to have some meals there during the week. Most restaurants seemed to close before dark or near sunset so you wouldn't be able to make it to any of them. Thinking of food made your mind quickly realize how thirsty you were for something more substantial. You needed blood. Luckily, quite a few people were still wandering about. You wanted to avoid feeding on the hosts at the Bed & Breakfast if you could. You heard a group approach. They were laughing heartily at something one of them had said.

"Oh my God, Elena! Why didn't you tell me?" said one of the girls. She looked half amused and half annoyed.

"Because it was nothing, Caroline. We had one date and nothing happened." said another girl, probably called Elena.

They all laughed again at the look on the blonde girl's face, presumably Caroline. You thought maybe you could get one of them. They would probably split up to go home. You decided to follow them a bit but if it took too long for them to break up their group then you would have to go find someone else. You didn't have too much time before sunrise. They walked slowly for a bit. They were talking about some past shared memories. The only boy with them was called Matt, you learned, and the third girl in the group was Bonnie. They seemed to genuinely care for each other. It was nice to see that. You liked people watching, even though it could be painful sometimes. Seeing what you were missing made you lonely. No matter what, you were always alone now. They all had sat down on some benches in a park nearby. A few of them were having trouble with their balance. Intoxicated, probably. Then someone's phone rang. It was the girl Elena's. She looked to see who it was and then told her friends she would be right back. She got up and walked briskly towards on older building. This was your chance. You moved quickly but quietly. Elena was leaning against the building talking to someone on the other end of the phone in hushed tones. The conversation was light-hearted because she had a smile on her face as she spoke. You waited for her to hang up to not alarm the person she was speaking to on her cell phone. As soon as she hung up, you bolted. You clasped your hand around her mouth to block her scream.

"Hey, sorry, sorry. Don't be afraid." you told her, using your compulsion. "You won't scream or try to run away. I won't hurt you."

Elena's eyes did not soften with those comforting words but when you removed your hand from her mouth she obeyed. You took a deep breath preparing yourself mentally not to let your thirst consume you. You looked at her. Something about her eyes was different then when you compelled others but still the compulsion had worked. She was listening.

"Uhm, could you turn your head for me? Expose your neck?" you said. It was so unpredatory of you but it was always when you grasped their head or neck that you felt the need to drain them. Not touching them with your hands made it easier for you to control yourself and so you always asked them to give you easy access.

Elena slowly turned her head and moved her hair out of the way of her neck but her eyes never left yours. It was unusual but you didn't mind too much. You were too hungry now. The hunger always grew in the moment right before you took a bite. It was like your body wanted you to kill. Your fangs emerged and your eyes grew black. The blackness spread even to the veins around your eyes. You had caught your reflection in that state many times and it was indeed terrifying to see. It was the look of a supreme predator.

"Elena, I will have you back to your friends in no time I promise. I just need a bit." you said. There was no point in comforting her but it always made you feel less guilty about what you had done afterwards, once the hunger wore off. You moved carefully toward her with your hands behind your back to avoid touching her. You bit down softly but quickly to break to skin. Immediately you felt the rush from feeding. It was crippling and it took everything to hold back. The blood was an addiction. There was never enough the second it hit your lips. No amount was ever enough. You knew that the second you pulled away the feeling would subside but with every heart beat the blood pulsed into your mouth. It was your favourite; how the blood seemed to just want to poor itself into you. You snapped the thought out of your head the moment it entered your mind. That thought would make you incapable of stopping if you let it. Quickly you threw yourself off of her. Your breaths came quick. You were panting, almost whimpering, at how much you wanted to go right back to her neck but, still, you didn't. It was like this every time. You closed your eyes then to avoid looking at the blood dripping down her neck, calling to you. You inhaled deeply and exhaled roughly. You then pinched your nose to lose the smell of the blood emanating from Elena. You looked at her. She was still staring right at you, unsure of the situation.

"It's okay. I got it." you said, recovering. "Just clean off your neck and then go back to your friends. Forget about our interaction."

Elena's eyes scanned your face. She started to clean herself, slowly.

"When you get home, clean those bite marks. Uh, put some concealer on or something to hide them. I like it here. It would be nice to get to stay a bit longer than a week at that Bed & Breakfast." you said to her. She started to leave.

"Oh, wait!" you said, stopping her in her tracks. You cut your arm with the edge of one of your fangs to draw some blood. You took some with your finger and brought it to Elena's mouth.

"That's a much quicker fix. You'll just need to clean your clothes. Sorry, I tried not to spill." you said, pointing at some blood small blood stains on her shirt. They were barely noticeable in the dark. "Alright, off you go. Best of luck!"

Elena walked off quietly, shooting one last look at you before disappearing behind the building you had both been leaning against. You hoped none of her friends would notice anything wrong. With your hunger moderately satisfied, you turned back to return to your cozy room for the night.


	3. Chapter 3

You hadn't gotten your hands on any clothes so you didn't want to shower yet. You would definitely need to stop somewhere tomorrow to grab some new outfits. Instead you just removed your leather jacket and pants, leaving you in a pair of underwear and a tank top. It was the best you could do without pyjamas. You turned on the television and settled under the covers. You liked watching mindless television while drifting to sleep. You flicked through the channels until you settled on some Simpsons re-runs. Just as the second episode started, however, someone or something burst through your door and slammed into you. It was a snarling vampire who seemed to be in his late twenties, early thirties. He was pinning you down on the bed, leaving you unable to move. You were definitely afraid but more confused than anything.

"Damon, stop!" yelled a voice you felt you recognized. You tried to peer over the man's frame to see who had spoken. It was Elena. Your eyes widened in shock.

The man called Damon growled menacingly but his grip loosened on your shoulders.

"I told you, she didn't want to hurt me." said Elena. "She was just hungry. I saw her use every ounce of strength she had to stop feeding on me, Damon."

Your head jerked over to Elena. "How do you remember?" you exclaimed.

"Never heard of Vervain, vampy?" sneered Damon before slowly pulling back.

Your mouth just stood slightly ajar in response.

"It's an herb that can burn vampires if they touch it but, if carried by humans, it can protect them from compulsion." offered Elena.

Understanding dawned on you but you remained speechless. You were in a threatening situation and wanted to be careful not to make any wrong moves. Elena seemed to be defending you and Damon seemed to not want to cross her. They were probably together.

"The herb's been almost extinct for a while now but my nephew grew some at our family home to protect the town." said another vampire as he stepped slowly into the room, assessing the situation.

"Oh, uhm, okay. I'm sorry for feeding on you." you said as you looked at Elena pleadingly. You wanted her to keep protecting you from Damon who was eyeing you with a permanent sneer.

"It's alright, I've actually had worse." she said with a slight smile.

"To be honest, most vampires are much more aggressive feeders." said the other male vampire. "I can't control myself at all, which is why I have to abstain."

Your eyes darted to him then. "Abstain?" you blurted. "How? How are you still alive?"

"He's on a puppy diet." interjected Damon. "My dear old brother here is a ripper. Once he starts he can't stop."

You recoiled instinctively at that comment but tried to cover it up so that Damon's brother would not notice. You didn't want to hurt his feelings. He seemed kind. His tone suggested he wanted to help you too, like Elena.

"I only drink animal blood. It makes me weaker than other vampires who feed on humans but it's enough to sustain me and make me strong enough." he said.

"Wow. It's hard to stop for everyone though, no?" you asked, looking at both he and Damon.

"Not that hard." said Damon's brother seriously. "It's easy enough for me. I never feel the need to drain anyone but then again I don't necessarily feel the need to restrict my calories." said Damon, flashing a mocking grin at his brother.

"Wait, you're telling me that the second the blood touches your lips you don't want to suck the person dry until you feel their heart stop and the quiver of their last breath? You're telling me you don't feel _that_?" you asked him, with a hint of anger in your voice. If not all vampires felt that then why did you have to?

All three of them looked at each other gravely following your question. Damon's brother took a step towards you. "Is that what you feel?" he asked.

Both of you looked into each others eyes silently for a moment. You tried to read him. You tried to figure out why he wanted to ask you that. Would they kill you if you did feel that way about the blood? Or did they know how to help you if that's really what went through your head every time you fed?

"Yes, every time." you said solemnly. You bowed your head as you spoke, not wanting to see their reaction. You heard movement and you held your eyes shut tight in fear of what they might do. They did not harm you though. Instead, Damon's brother kneeled down next to you and put his hand on your shoulder. You looked at him to read his expression. He looked... sympathetic.

"So do I." he said. You both looked at each other for what felt like an hour. To find someone who could understand such an overwhelming feeling, a feeling so opposite of what you were, was like coming home. It felt surreal. You had never imagined you would find someone who understood. You had never met a vampire in your 10 years of being one. You sometimes found yourself thinking that you were the only one in the whole world, that you were all alone in all of this.

"Sorry to interrupt your Rippers Anonymous session, Stefan, but Klaus isn't really the kind of guy you keep waiting." interrupted Damon.

Stefan stood up but didn't take his eyes off of you. It seemed he thought he had been the only one as well. "I can help you. I promise." he said sincerely. I believed him. "Will you come with us?"

I looked over at Elena, who nodded encouragingly, and then at Damon.

"Just come so we can actually make it through tonight alive." he said, exasperated.

You couldn't help but smile a little. Damon yanked Elena up into his arms and all of them bolted out of the Bed & Breakfast at lightning speed.


	4. Chapter 4

You all stopped abruptly in front of an enormous house with a long driveway.

Your jaw dropped. "You live _here_?" you exclaimed.

"No way, this house smells like wet dog. Ours is way better." said Damon. Elena nudged him.

"What are we doing here then?" you asked.

"We're meeting with the family." said Damon.

"You guys have family? Do they know about what you are?" you asked.

"Not our family, _the_ family." specified Damon.

"Uhh, what?" you said, confused.

Stefan was about to explain when the front door of the house opened. A man with neatly styled brown hair in a dark blue suit was standing in the doorway with his hand held out, greeting them.

"A little late, aren't we?" he said.

"Someone tried to eat Elena." said Damon. "Elijah, meet Vampy. Vampy meet Elijah."

You looked uncomfortably towards Elijah and waved timidly. He was looking at you with a deadpan expression.

"Are you saying that you let a vampire almost drain the blood of the doppelganger? The very blood we need to break the curse set upon Niklaus and, by extension, his entire bloodline?" asked Elijah menacingly.

"Nothing bad happened, Elijah. She was well protected-" started Stefan.

"What's this I hear about you failing to keep our dear Elena safe?" said another man as he stepped outdoors towards them. "A vampire tried to drain her and you've brought it here for me to kill for you? You couldn't even do your own dirty work? I guess I do have to do everything around here."

"She didn't hurt Elena, Klaus. Leave her." said Stefan.

"From what I hear, Stefan, she tried to drain Elena. Which would have meant that all of these last three weeks would have been for NOTHING! I agreed to let her stay with you because you ensured me it is where she would be safest but clearly trusting the Salvatore brothers was a mistake." cried the man called Klaus.

"She didn't hurt her." repeated Stefan more forcefully.

"She nearly DRAINED HER!" shouted Klaus, seething.

"I took like 4 sips. Sorry. I was hungry. She stepped away from her friends for a second. I took my shot." you said. You were getting annoyed at how dramatic the conversation was becoming.

Klaus stopped abruptly and looked at you with his mouth slightly open. He then laughed lightly. His terrifying roar of a voice from before completely gone. "Fantastic!" he said, still chuckling. "Won't you join us for dinner? We have plenty of blood here. No need to murder the spell's main ingredient now, darling."

He stepped towards you and offered you his arm. It was a gesture from an older time. You assumed he was a much older vampire than Damon and Stefan. The way they seemed to fear him slightly indicated as much. You obliged and took his arm as he guided you inside his home. Damon and Stefan exchanged shocked looks for reasons you did not understand. Everyone seemed a little too much on edge in your opinion.

"Elijah, brother, no need to make a fret. This one here was simply hungry and needed a quick snack." said Klaus as he patted him on the back. Elijah straightened his suit immediately. He did not seem shocked by Klaus' quick change in personality. Perhaps he regularly had angry outbursts.

"This is my brother, Elijah. He's the nicer one of the two of us, or so everyone says." continued Klaus. Motioning for you to shake hands with Elijah, which you did without hesitation. It was a welcome thing to meet more vampires.

"I'm (y.n.). It's nice to meet you both." you said, nodding to both brothers.

Klaus laughed again. "It's not often we hear that." he said to Elijah. Then he leaned towards you to whisper. "We're never really a welcome sight. It usually means you've been bad." he said to you.

"Apparently, I have been bad." you said to him. He smiled but it was somewhat strained. "Sorry again about that. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. In fact, I was trying to avoid it." you added.

"No harm, no foul." said Klaus, trying to make you feel at ease.

"Okay." you said, relieved. You turned to look at Damon, Stefan, and Elena but they seemed to be keeping their distance. They were looking at you and Klaus with odd looks on their faces.

"What's up with you guys?" you asked.

"Nothing." said Stefan too quickly as he walked towards the set table in the centre of the dining room they had been brought to.

Someone entered the room with another chair and place setting. "Ah, perfect!" said Klaus when he saw them. "We have room for you at the table. Come, sit next to me." said Klaus, gesturing you to have a seat on his right. He was already seated at the head of the table. Stefan sat at the other end, while Elijah took a seat on Klaus' other side.

You took your seat and Damon and Elena sat facing each other in the last remaining chairs. They seemed nervous with you being so close to Klaus. You were starting to feel like you should be too.

"Despite this little incident with Elena, it seems everything is set for tonight. At midnight Niklaus will drink Elena's blood and the spell will be activated." said Elijah calmly.

"Great! We can finally get you guys out of here after tonight." said Damon, enthusiastically.

"Oh, I don't know, Damon. I've come to enjoy my time here." teased Klaus.

"Hold up. You're doing _what_ at midnight?" you asked. "Because I'm pretty sure you said 'drink Elena's blood' but seeing as you just lost your shit at me for drinking her blood earlier that can't be correct. That would be far too hypocritical."

"Actually, it wouldn't, dear, because her blood sets the spell in motion and if you had drained her then there would be none left for the spell now would there?" said Klaus playfully.

"I see. And you're okay with this, Elena?" you asked her.

"It ensures everyone I care about's safety. Anyone in Klaus' bloodline is at risk without the spell. He doesn't need all of my blood. I'll be okay." said Elena.

You looked at Elijah whose expression didn't betray what Elena had just said and then you looked at Klaus. His expression was hard to read.

"Is it true that you don't need all of her blood?" you asked him.

"Yes." he replied with a mocking smile.

"So, almost all of it then?" you asked him.

He raised his eyebrows in mock offence with his hands up. "Do you think I would hide that information if I did have to drink most of it?" he asked. Everyone had perked up now.

"Probably." you answered.

He smiled at you. "You're right about that. It's also fun to see them all quivering at the thought that I _might_ just have lied about the amount I needed." he said.

"Well, even if you had to drain her, she'd be fine." you said nonchalantly. "I'm guessing they know you well enough not to trust you, right?" you said to Klaus. He was just studying you, a slight smile stuck on his face.

You looked towards the others. They were all looking blankly back at you. "You guys prepared for that eventuality, right?" you asked them. They looked stunned.

"Okay, maybe not." you said, feeling bad for them.

"I don't believe they are used to being deceived as much as us Mikaelsons." chuckled Klaus. He was clearly amused.

"Elena, I think we should probably head out. You know, places to be, people to see." said Damon.

"Like I said, she'll be fine even if Klaus drains her." you repeated so Damon would hear you. Damon and Elena looked at you.

"Why?" asked Elena.

"I thought the compulsion didn't work? Don't you remember?" you asked her.

"Remember what?" She asked.

"I gave you my blood. You have vampire blood in your system." you explained.

Elena's eyes widened and she looked pleadingly to Damon. Damon gripped her hand tightly before turning abruptly to Klaus. "Tell me you won't drain her!" he demanded.

"Well this is an interesting development." said Klaus, amused. "Sorry, (y.n.), it seems you've unknowingly implicated yourself into this situation."

"Still better than my usual Thursday nights." you said, with no humor.

Klaus laughed lightly as did Elijah, though he tried to hide it. Klaus then turned to Damon who had actually risen from his chair waiting for Klaus' answer.

"Would it really be the worst thing if I did, Damon?" asked Klaus, cocking an eyebrow.

Damon lunged towards Klaus but Elijah and Stefan both stopped him before he could reach him. Klaus rose slowly to a standing position and leaned over the table towards Damon who was trying to break free from the two holding him back. Klaus' posture was menacing. "Isn't that what you want, Damon? To have Elena return to her vampire state? To have an eternity with her?" insisted Klaus. His tone was mocking again.

Elena stood and put her hand on Damon. "Damon, it's a very small sacrifice if it's to save you, Caroline, and Stefan's lives. I would have preferred knowing but I would have given him all of my blood even if I had known. My humanity isn't worth nearly as much as all of your lives." she said. She turned Damon's face to meet hers. "Spending an eternity with you and having you all be safe is no sacrifice, Damon." she insisted before kissing him delicately. His hand brushed her face.

"Elena." said Damon, softly.

"To be quite honest, I don't actually need all of her blood but I do need a lot. I can't be sure that it won't kill her." interrupted Klaus. "Obviously, if I had told you that you might not have been as enthusiastic to assist me with this spell."

"You're a dick." spat Damon.

"Noted." chimed Klaus before turning to you.

"Earlier when I said you had implicated yourself in this, I didn't exactly mean that you had solely implicated yourself in this little argument." he said to you, privately.

"What did you mean then?" you asked, cautiously.

"The spell will protect me and my bloodline from the curse put on me by a coven of angry witches but it will be using Elena's blood to tie me to this Earth. The consequences of that are that our consciousness' will be moulded together until sunrise. We will essentially be stuck in a dream together until then." he explained.

"Okay..." you replied, confused as to how that implicated you.

"Darling, your blood is circulating through her at this very moment." he specified.

"Three-way dreaming, neat" you said, not missing a beat. You understood what he was explaining. You didn't want to show any emotion. You did not seem at all phased and Klaus seemed a little disturbed by that.

"You're not worried about that?" he asked.

"Should I be? What's the worst that can happen in a dream?" you inquired.

"Well, for one, you could never wake up from that dream? Didn't you ever hear that if you die in a dream you die in reality?" said Klaus.

"Yes and I figured it was an urban myth." you responded.

"Not exactly." interrupted Elijah. "I've told Elena this already but it would be best if you all avoided each other in the dream. Dreams have a way of distorting reality. You wouldn't want to end up killed by one of the others."

"Oh. Okay." you said simply.

Elijah narrowed his eyes in response.

"I'm not afraid to die. I'm just afraid of pain. I don't think dying from a dream is the worst way to go if it comes to that." you explained.

"It won't come to that." assured Elena.

"At least if you die, Elena, you can come back as a vampire. That's good." you said to her with a comforting smile.

"Right." she said. She didn't seem happy about that.

"I'm sorry I healed you. I didn't know you'd be in danger of dying tonight. I have no intention of turning anyone." you said.

"It's okay. You couldn't have known." she said.

Elena was a very strong woman. It took courage to be so kind to someone who had just previously fed on you.

"I won't let you die in the dream, Elena." you said.

"Thank you." she said. She then exited to the lounge where Klaus and Elijah had walked over to. They were offering some champagne. There were only 2 and a half hours until midnight. They would need to kill some time.

Damon and Stefan were still in the room with you. Damon stepped towards you with an intense look in his eyes.

"You'll watch her?" he asked darkly. He truly cared for her.

"Of course." you said. He studied your eyes before deciding he could trust that you would and then he nodded. He stepped over to the lounge to join Elena, who had started speaking to Elijah.

Klaus glanced over at you. He was pouring more champagne. When he saw you look over at him, he extended a glass towards you. You smiled politely. You were just about to walk over to get it when Stefan gently grabbed your arm, making you stop to see what he wanted.

He leaned towards you to whisper something in your ear. "You should feed before midnight. If you're hungry during the dream... you might not be able to protect Elena." he said. You knew he meant that you might not be able to control yourself around her if you were hungry. He was right. He would of course be the only one to think of that.

"Good idea. I will. Just as a precaution." you said. You wanted to inspire confidence that you would not have fed on her even if you were hungry if you had been instructed to protect her.

"Just as a precaution." he repeated, indicating that he trusted you would have tried everything not to feed on her even if you were hungry. You were surprised by his confidence in you, despite him knowing full well what the addiction felt like. It was a good feeling to have someone have that much faith in you.


	5. Chapter 5

In his impatience, Klaus had walked over to you to hand you your glass. He was standing right beside you. You nodded to Stefan before lending your attention to Klaus. Stefan walked over to Damon and Elena.

"Thank you." you said as you clasped the glass from Klaus. "Sorry, Stefan just wanted to tell me something."

"No bother." he said.

He watched you keenly as you sipped the champagne.

"Do you like it?" he asked. Nodding to the glass.

"Yes, actually. It's sweet but not too much." you said.

"We brought it from one of orchards. The staff there make it. They're quite good at it if I do say so myself." he said. "I've had to slip in something extra in yours, mine, and Elena's for the spell but you can't really taste it."

"What did you add?" you asked, a little disturbed that anyone was slipping anything in your drink.

"Don't worry, love, just some crushed valerian root. It's to help us stay relatively subdued during the dream." he said.

"What for?" you asked.

"It's best to be more relaxed to ensure nothing bad happens. Dreams tend to manifest our emotions." he explained.

"Then, yes, being relaxed would be best. You should probably have a few more of those. You seem- well you seem like you need it most, honestly." you said, laughing nervously.

He looked at you with no hint of what he might be feeling.

"Perhaps you're right but it keeps my guard up to be this way. People aren't the most trustworthy." he said.

"You're likely the most untrustworthy person here." you joked.

"With good reason." he said. "I'm on top of a lot of people's kill list. Including, this lot's." He gestured towards Elena, Damon, and Stefan. They were engrossed in hushed conversation.

"I wouldn't be too worried. Besides, your brother seems like he would kill to protect you and the others actually want this spell to work as much as you do." you said.

"That's the one thing I can count on. If I die, they all do." he said mischievously.

" _That's_ what you can count on? Jeez." you rolled your eyes slightly.

"What else is there?" he spat.

"Your brother, for one." you said.

"Even he can be a little untrustworthy at times, love." he said. He seemed to be reminiscing about something. His eyes flashed with anger but then it was gone and he was back to being more relaxed. He seemed like someone who had been hurt too often to trust anyone anymore.

"Hey, so what Stefan was telling me earlier was that I should probably feed before we all start dreaming of each other. Is there anyone who I _can_ feed from near here?" you asked, trying to be nonchalant.

"Of course. I may partake as well. Shall we go for a hunt, then?" he asked, offering you his arm again.

"Uhm, sure. Should we tell the others?" you said. You glanced over to Stefan hoping he would pick up on what was happening and stop you both. It would be hard to control yourself if another vampire close to you wasn't controlling himself. Stefan did not notice, however. He and Damon were still in some sort of hushed argument as Elena spoke quietly to Elijah by the roaring fire at the back of the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Klaus' touch shook you from trying to get Stefan's attention. He had placed your hand on his extended arm and was now guiding you out the front door. Your heart sank a little. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe being in the presence of another vampire who didn't have an addiction while feeding would be beneficial. You let yourself be guided by Klaus. He was taking you towards the woods.

"There's actually a bit of a gathering out in these woods tonight. I saw hoards of students heading there earlier today while I was out." he said. His eyes were gleaming. He clearly enjoyed hunting. If you were being honest with yourself, so did you. It was just more dangerous for you to let yourself feel that joy.

"Uhm, I'm not that good at control. I might need you to pull me off of them." you said timidly.

"I think trying to control it is what makes you unable to, my dear. Just relinquish the desire to stop yourself. Instead, tell yourself that you'll stop when you're full." he said. "You have to change how you think about the feed."

"I can't. I've tried." you said.

He stopped you and grasped both of your hands in his. He looked into your eyes. "I'll show you." he said.

Then he bolted at superhuman speed deeper into the forest. Your eyes followed him. He stopped where you could still see him in the distance. "Keep up." he yelled, amused.

You smiled and followed. You raced each other for a while, laughing. You both had stray branches all over your clothes and hair when you both stopped.

"Oh my God." you exclaimed between laughs when you had a look at him. He had twigs pointing out of his hair going in all directions. "You're a mess!" you said.

He smiled and reached his hand behind your ear. You felt a tugging sensation in your hair and he showed you the 4 large twigs he had just pulled off of you.

"So are you." he said.

"Wow." you said. "We might need to save some time to shower before midnight."

"Nonsense, we're still clean." he said. "We're simply accessorized."

"Ah, yes, of course." you replied.

You both sniggered.

"So where are these students you were speaking of? I'm getting hungry." you said, patting your stomach.

"How rude of me. I've kept you from your supper." he said.

"You have. So impolite!" you teased.

He put his arm around you and pointed out in front of you.

"There's our supper, love. You can see the light from their fires." he said.

You squinted. You couldn't see anything. "Your eyes might be better than mine." you said.

"You aren't trying hard enough." he said. He moved to stand behind you with his hands on your shoulders. He re-positioned you. "Straight ahead, between the two trees with their knots at the same exact height. Relax the muscles around your eyes and look."

You spotted the trees he mentioned and relaxed your muscles. You saw something moving in the distance, further than you remembered ever seeing. The movement was coming from light. You could see the light from a fire.

"Wow, that's incredible! I see it. I see the light!" you exclaimed, excited and impressed.

"There you go, darling." he whispered in your ear, his breath hot against the cold of your skin. He patted your shoulder and walked ahead towards the source of the light.

You stood rooted to the spot. It was crazy that he had taught you something you had not discovered for yourself in the 10 years you had been a vampire. It was so wonderful to be with other vampires finally. You took a deep inhale, pleased with how your night had developed. Klaus turned to you, waiting for you to join him. You sped up to meet him.

"Not feeling like the only vampire in the world is something I could get used to." you said beaming at him. He gave you a warm smile in response.

Though the others seemed scared of him, you found Klaus to be reasonably suspicious and angry. You knew how powerful emotions were as a vampire. You couldn't imagine how devastating it would be if people were always out to kill you or if you're own family sought to put you down. Still, there must be a reason why almost everyone stood against them; a reason you had yet to discover. You decided to remain cautious but would allow him the benefit of the doubt. You always tried to follow the "innocent until proven guilty" view. Plus, he seemed fun when he wasn't angry.

You looked him over then, studying his expression. You then pushed him lightly on his shoulder and bolted off towards the fire all while shouting to him "beat you there!"

Moments later he was by your side, matching your speed. "I have quite a few years on you. You're no match for me." he said.

You snapped a branch and threw it at his legs, which made him falter. This gave you enough time to take the lead. You made it first but only by a second. The crowd of students around you barely noticed your arrival in their inebriated state.

"That tree certainly seemed to be enough of a match for you." you snickered at Klaus.

"Perhaps I let you win to give you enough confidence for what's to come." he replied mysteriously.

"That would be nice of you. If that was indeed what really happened." you said. He simply smiled in response.

"Well, hello hello." said a young man stumbling over to you. "You look like you could use a drink."

Both you and Klaus burst out laughing as you caught each others eye.

"You're absolutely right, my friend, she really could." said Klaus. He immediately rushed to the man and thrashed at his neck. He was now bleeding profusely. Instead of feeding however Klaus offered the man's neck to you.

You hesitated but klaus was nodding to you encouragingly. You started putting your hands behind your back and lowered your head towards the man's neck tentatively. You heard Klaus chortle.

"What may I ask are you doing?" he asked you. He was gesturing towards the hands behind your back.

"It helps me control the urge to drain them and move on to the next." you said gravely.

Klaus' face softened. He took your arm, and then your hand, and placed it on the man's shoulder. He took your other hand and kept it in his.

"I'll squeeze your hand when it's time to stop with him. Remember that it doesn't mean that's all the blood you'll have tonight. There are many more humans around, love, and you _will_ get your fill." he said.

He nodded to signal you to feed and somehow you felt that you were in control so you fed. The second your lips touched the blood you felt the familiar ache to let all of the blood pump into you. The blood was pumping into your mouth slower than usual however. You then noticed something outside of your private little world of "the feed" for once. Klaus was right there beside you feeding off of the man as well. He was slowing the blood flow, making you take your time. Somehow with him there you weren't worried about not being able to stop because you knew he wouldn't let you kill this man if that's what you were afraid of. You felt his hand tighten around yours then and you withdrew your mouth almost immediately from your victim. Your eyes instead moved to another human nearby. None of the humans had noticed what was happening. Not yet anyways but they would. They always did. Klaus smiled at you. He almost looked proud that his help was actually working. You smiled back in surprise. You then dropped the man's body to the ground and pounced on the next victim. She screamed as you bit into her jugular. The others turned at her helpless scream ans started running frantically but klaus threw them all to the ground one by one.

"You will all stay here until both me and my friend here have gone." he said to all of them.

I looked at Klaus smiling against the throat still trapped between my fangs. He rushed to my side to join me in the feed. In seconds I felt the pressure of him squeezing my hand and then I bolted to the next. He followed me and waited for me to bite first. It was a twisted sort of chivalry but chivalry nonetheless. His presence was distracting you from your addiction. Knowing that you had more warm bodies to feed off of made it easier to stop when you had to. After feeding together on at least 6 humans, he let you feed on your own as he supervised and guided you.

"Wait for the heart's rhythm to change. That's when you need to stop. Further than that and they will not heal unless you feed them your blood." he said.

You listened to his words and listened carefully to their hearts. Klaus was giving you rules and rules were easier to follow then your own fear of killing.

"Healing your victims might add just enough time for someone to find you. The point is to be quick if you are more of a defensive feeder, which you certainly seem to be." he said. "You want to avoid confrontation when you feed. You want no one to notice."

You lifted yourself off of your last victim. There were still a few left to go but you were genuinely full. That feeling was rare. The only times you had ever felt full were when you had killed. You assumed you had to kill to feel full but this was... life-changing.

"I feel full." you said to him, still shocked.

"Good." he said casually.

"No, no, I'm actually full. I have never been full unless I slaughtered people, unless I left a massacre behind." you exclaimed.

"Sorry to burst your bubble but it still looks like a massacre." he said with a grin. "You're a bit of a messy eater, love."

"Well, no one died so excuse me for being shocked but this is incredible for me. Stefan said I was a ripper. I thought I was a ripper, honestly, but it looks like I don't have to be." you said joyfully.

"Like I said before the addiction comes from trying to control the hunger and believing you can't." he said. "Try not to control how much blood you drink. Instead, control how much you drink per person. You don't have to limit yourself, darling."

"You might be right. I really have no words to describe how happy I feel right now." you said.

"With time, you will get better at this. Soon enough you will rarely feel true hunger. As long as you eat whenever you're hungry, all this will be so much easier. You will see, I promise." he said reassuringly.

You walked over to him and he eyed you curiously as you did. You stood up tall and kissed him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you for this. I will be forever grateful for this." you said.

His eyes were glistening from some emotion you could not fully decipher. He turned away almost immediately.

"It's getting close to midnight. We can't be late." he said.

"Well, let's not waste any time. Go on, I'll keep up." you said.

He looked at you mischievously. "You can certainly try." he said. Then he was off in a blur.

He was actually faster than you, which you expected, but you still managed to stay only a few feet behind him. He had been holding back before, just as he had said. You found it to be a nice gesture. You probably did need that confidence boost before feeding.


End file.
